Raw Cacao and Health: The Controversy

ONE: The first few years I was raw, raw cacao was not yet available and I was fine without it!

TWO: NOT ALL CACAO IS THE SAME

Furthermore, recently it was discovered that most of the raw cacao on the market is not truly raw. There is only one supplier of truly raw cacao, Big Tree Farms in Bali. And right now only Essential Living Foods and Earth Family Food/Earth Circle Organics distributes it here in America, which is where we get ours! You must know source with raw foods!!!! We only sell the best, truly raw Balinese Cacao in our shopping cart.

It really tastes different! Click here to learn more!

Personally, I have been the happiest and the most blissful in my life when I am eating very little food period, all living of course, and without any Cacao or Tea or similar stimulants, while doing a lot of yoga. In other words, living in the highest state of purity. I love being able to eat so simply and purely, and more than that, eat very very little, without any annoying stimulants.

ALSO, LIKE ALL SUPERFOODS, IT SHOULD BE EATEN IN SMALL QUANTITIES, B/C THE BODY ONLY NEEDS A TINY AMOUNT AND THE REST WILL SIMPLY GO TO WASTE.

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In the past couple years, with the need to be "on" and get things done due to the many responsibilities I took on, green tea became an awesome blessing during periods of studying and long (unnatural) work in front of the computer, and all night births (I'm a certifed Doula and Midwife Assistant). Eventually, I started to eat cacao again.

In Novemeber 2008. we started purchasing cacao nibs and cacao beans after I went to a lecture with 30-year raw foodist Lou Corona, where he talked about making chocolate yogurt from fermenting cacao beans. He seemed to be replying to people's comments about the over-stimulating effect they get from eating too much cacao. Maybe the fermentation process removes some of the chemicals; it definititely removes the negative molds. I tried making the yogurt and it was interesting.

Eventually I got to where I was eating way too many cacao nibs out of laziness, and started having sleepless nights and mental issues. But I knew right away that it was the cacao and stopped taking it and started experimenting with Colloidial Gold at the same time (which gives one an amazing sleep !)

Basically I don't eat much raw cacao anymore except as a special treat with rare ill effect. My husband often still eats it many mornings before law school/work, but only 1-2 teaspoons. He loves how it activates his brain and mood and makes him a more successful student. I would agree that one probably needs a healthy drug to get through law school!!! Many would say that you can't put the words healthy and drug together, but it all depends on how it is used and with what conciousness. He probably won't continue to eat it as often after graduation.

So the moral of the story is, just don't eat cacao like you eat lettuce O.K., and do what is right for your life! Just like you wouldn't eat pounds of green tea every day, one should not have pounds of chocolate every day. Just like I wouldn't have green tea while i was pregnant, i wouldn't eat cacao while i was pregnant etc......People need to be aware of how much they eat. I know of a mother who every time she would eat raw cacao while she was pregnant, the baby would move around too much, so she stopped eating it during the second half of her pregnancy.

We are all different!

So just be aware and don't over do it or else, like Dr. T says in another video/audio below, you will be making your kidneys, and liver over-work! And if you really want to be a purest, then its best to remove such uneccesary items from one's diet. The only purests however that I know are long time people in the raw food community. Beware however of your "raw guru," as I have noticed one thing in the raw community, and that is that teachers and long time practioners often try to gain popularity and attention by trying to figure out something new to make a stir about, and I really feel that this raw cacao thing is just another one of those moments. That doesn't mean that they don't have some good information to provide, but just remember to be your own guru and live your own life and do what is right for you. Remember the body is constantly changing and what is right in one moment, may feel wrong in another, and everyone's brain chemistry and constitution is different (and different at different times too!!!)

For example, if you are still eating cooked food and drinking caffeine or coffee, then this is not as big of an issue for you. Also, keep in mind, raw cacao is much better for you than coffee or other sources of caffeine like tea!!! Cacao does not cause insulin to be released, where as caffeine does, especially coffee. That's why, when I know I'm gonna need a boost, I'll usually have a tablespoon of cacao rather than a cup of green tea. It feels healthier and more nutritious to me.

We are all at different places in our diet and need different things at different times. Just be aware and treat cacao like you would any other drug, but also realize that ALL food is a drug because it ALL has mental and bodily effects and consequences. It's just that cacao is going to have a lot more drug effects than say, lettuce, so beware, as it is certainly more addictive. More than that, it is addictive due to the sweeteners people use on it, not just the cacao itself. Remember how addicted we all are to sugars and desserts, and cacao simply fills in that cooked food addiction from our past....it gives us the sugar and dessert quality we crave...with a much nicer stimulant effect thought that really lasts! Cacao also balances the blood sugar. Remember that Agave is not truly raw, and has similar effects to corn syrup in the body. So if you are going to really examine your whole diet, you need to look at more than just cacao. If you really want to be a purest, then we have a lot more to talk about then just the cacao you are eating.

Here is Dr. T's video:

and here is the video/audio from Paul Nison's blogpost by Dr. Clement:

I really enjoy what Dr. Clement has to say, but he is a purest and so has every right to talk like one. The truth is both Agave and Cacao are both recreational activities, not something you should be eating all the time. Please though have some perspective, if you are eating Agave in place of white sugar and bread, then you are taking a step in a good direction. Eating a little cacao once in a while is no different than having coffee or green tea once in awhile, and is actually much better for you than either of those. Are you a purest?

Conclusion

I think our culture's largest addiction is to food period, and people are also way too depressed in general. So if people use some cacao at the beginning of their journey to better health and towards a positive mind state, then this is a positive thing. Cacao has really been a positive force for many people on their journey to eating less and eating better, and definitely to being more positive and feeling better. We also live in a culture where so many people are literally taking drugs for depression, and these are a lot worse for you than raw cacao. Let's be honest with ourselves too about how unnatural modern life is to begin with, and ask ourselves honestly how perfect, non-toxic, and pure our diet and lifestyle really is before we try and disparage raw cacao. Finally, lets remember all the amazing POSITIVE scientific studies done on raw chocolate, and all the positive effects seen by specialists like Dr. Gabriel Cousens for improving diabetics blood sugar etc....and all the tremendous positive nutrients cacao has. It is after all just the nut of a fruit.

As with ALL foods, and ALL things we consume, we should be aware of how they effect us, and make a decision for ourselves how we utilize them in our lives for OUR OWN PURPOSE. It is no different with cacao.

I recently discovered the following video on YouTube, a year after I wrote this page, and he seems to make a lot of the same points I have.....